Bouncing off the nail of the thumb, a tiny, thin coin spun, flew up, and then fell silently on the back of the hand.

"The eagle,– Lupo Davega grinned contentedly, raising his palm, "which means the spaceship is mine!

A yellow-skinned, scaly creature, about ten feet tall, spread its seven limbs to the sides and said, "Please. As soon as I get in, I'll send a signal to Gentry to be picked up from Earth.

Yes, of course," happily answered Lupo, in his heart laughing at the simplicity and credulity of the alien. The round-sided humanoid deftly crawled inside the capsule ship, the size of which did not exceed the size of a school bus. The alien's lumpy belly pulsed with a multitude of tiny subcutaneous lumps, slowly moving under the translucent scales. The alien himself was muttering at this moment squeaky sounds, completely incomprehensible to Lupo. What if he runs away?—a strange thought slipped through Lupo's head—and to hell with him!

Devega tried to drive away such thoughts as soon as possible. He liked to think more about how much you can sell an outlandish thing obtained in a trifling contest.

Do you want to play again? The Gentrian asked dispassionately, stroking the spherical belly. Lupo's eyes widened. He quickly took in his winnings with an appraising glance, then the caricature—the thin top of the figure with spider-like limbs.

Does my victory bother you? I understand. But it seems you have nothing else to bet on.

What about management? After all, you, or any other of the earthlings, will not be able to cope with this matter in a thousand years," the Gentrian said unhurriedly. On the morning of this day, Lupo Devega did not suspect the existence of aliens, waking up with a huge debt and an empty stomach. Walking along the city embankment, when even the sun was dozing over the horizon, Lupo kicked an empty soda can. The aluminum projectile flew quite a bit and fell, colliding with an invisible obstacle. The rope limbs and the body of the Gentrian gradually materialized in the next moment, appearing in all their alien glory. "It wouldn't hurt for you to learn good manners when meeting guests," the humanoid said reproachfully. Twelve hours later, Lupo was already playing with a representative of extraterrestrial life for the opportunity to control an intergalactic, super-powerful machine. The coin bounced again, for a moment, cutting through the hot, evening air. Lupo's forehead and neck were covered with perspiration, and a special, gambling gleam appeared in his eyes. He closed his eyes for a second, letting his heart enjoy a brief moment of anticipation. Unlike what Lupo expected, the learning process lasted a few seconds. The device, shaped and sized like a lipstick case, touched his skin so that Devega felt a slight, electric pulse tension between his ears. The air seemed to be filled with an aroma reminiscent of the fragrance of apricot flowers.

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